Finance Videos

Life After the City: Former banker stirs up tea trade

April 23 - Former Societe Generale banker Ajit Madan is proving there is life after the City. With his sister Lubna he set up Camellia's Tea House and the business is going from strength to strength.

TRANSCRIPT +

In times of stress and panic the British -- always tend to the one constant in their lives. -- And 2007. Just months before the crash of Lehman Brothers. -- bottom left his job as a leveraged finance bank resuscitation morale to set up comedians -- with this system LoopNet. While the weather here in London -- seem to be miserable it's time Africa. So why leave the highlight -- track in the city for small business start up. It just interest level seen. Being in the city and what can really exciting to actually challenging transactions has pretty much disappeared off the credit I probably wouldn't have to make in these settings for -- -- it it was a good evening. You know has years of experience teen -- medicine. I'm -- drink. Saying that between us and this passive experience and background that I guess my business acumen I felt that we communicate -- probably could support. Using their own money budget and his system set up the tea room just off London's iconic economy street. The company has seen 40% sales growth year on year since 2000 -- date. And with a growing wholesale business it's expanding frost. Given his background in banking how difficult is it to find them. It's as thoughts a corporation when you don't have to use track record history it's you kind of -- an advocate of a catch twenty you don't have the street field -- -- -- The angels in the VC investors in the preakness and -- you can -- you have to make some pretty well decisions Kate yeah so it didn't. It would mean personal finance is in T in the wake up and Kate inspect. So it's. But you know we're getting a little light at the end of the tunnel and -- we've now been price spikes -- -- very interested in investing business. It's critical for us. The team -- name is inspired by Camellia sentences the botanical name of the plant that produces white Green and black -- Look no matter I'm not qualified homeopathic creates the hand -- -- as well as the Opel and wellness infusions. She was frustrated by the lack of variety and quality of -- available. In every coffee shop that you went to -- in -- English breakfast I -- News maybe ninety patents on -- That's not reading without patenting tool -- and that was it. But it was the quintessentially British heritage of tea drinking that led the brother and sister team to challenge the invasion of coffee houses on the high street. And make it work. To me it was like a cadet to captain mocking aren't true reason and it doesn't. Or. It's something -- it may be Green and two -- So what -- the island since then launched on what would they do differently with the benefit of hindsight. The last two years of being -- and if that's very scary humans -- -- That in his what's happening -- us out. And finally with competition growing from both hotels and luxury to make is such as Crist -- Would budget at a considered going back to working in the city while -- to say -- -- anything in the future you know and what. Then -- frenzy. -- my you know my first priority is this business I can't see it when it's going back. Life optimistic he seems to do I get my time of his system and well. Far from craving a return to high finance and trading that's I think that's not firmly on the genteel world of T. And expanding an already successful business on Michael Stephenson -- -- It.

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